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DayDreamer: An algorithm to quickly teach robots new behaviors in the real world

Training robots to complete tasks in the real-world can be a very time-consuming process, which involves building a fast and efficient simulator, performing numerous trials on it, and then transferring the behaviors learned during these trials to the real world. In many cases, however, the performance achieved in simulations does not match the one attained in the real-world, due to unpredictable changes in the environment or task.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) have recently developed DayDreamer, a tool that could be used to train robots to complete tasks more effectively. Their approach, introduced in a paper pre-published on arXiv, is based on learning models of the world that allow robots to predict the outcomes of their movements and actions, reducing the need for extensive trial and error training in the real-world.

“We wanted to build robots that continuously learn directly in the real world, without having to create a simulation environment,” Danijar Hafner, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told TechXplore. “We had only learned world models of video games before, so it was super exciting to see that the same algorithm allows robots to quickly learn in the real world, too!”

MIT system can fix your software bugs on its own (by borrowing from other software)

Circa 2015


New software being developed at MIT is proving able to autonomously repair software bugs by borrowing from other programs and across different programming languages, without requiring access to the source code. This could save developers thousands of hours of programming time and lead to much more stable software.

Bugs are the bane of the software developer’s life. The changes that must be made to fix them are often trivial, typically involving changing only a few lines of code, but the process of identifying exactly which lines need to be fixed can be a very time-consuming and often very frustrating process, particularly in larger projects.

But now, new software from MIT could take care of this, and more. The system, dubbed CodePhage, can fix bugs which have to do with variable checks, and could soon be expanded to fix many more types of mistakes. Remarkably, according to MIT researcher Stelios Sidiroglou-Douskos, the software can do this kind of dynamic code translation and transplant (dubbed “horizontal code transplant,” from the analogous process in genetics) without needing access to the source code and across different programming languages, by analyzing the executable file directly.

Watch: 🤖 🤖 Will AI become an “existential threat?”

What does the future of AI look like? Let’s try out some AI software that’s readily available for consumers and see how it holds up against the human brain.

🦾 AI can outperform humans. But at what cost? 👉 👉 https://cybernews.com/editorial/ai-can-outperform-humans-but-at-what-cost/

Whether you welcome our new AI overlords with open arms, or you’re a little terrified about what an AI future may look like, many say it’s not really a question of ‘if,’ but more of a question of ‘when.’

Okay, you’ve got AI technologies on a small scale to a grand scale. From Siri — self-driving cars, text generators — humanoid robots, but what really is the real threat? As far back as 2013, Oxford University (ironically) used a machine-learning algorithm to determine whether 702 different jobs throughout America could turn automated, this found that a whopping 47% could in fact be replaced by machines.

A huge concern that comes alongside this is whether the technology will be reliable enough? We’re already seeing AI technology in countless professions, most recently the boom of AI generated-text used in over 300 different apps. It’s even used beyond this planet, out in space. If anything, this is a rude awakening for the future potential of AI technology, outside of the industrial market.

🦾 Do humans stand a chance against AI technology?

Scientists Revealed the Most Advanced Robot That’s Shocking Everyone

https://youtu.be/QEy2tZu25UM

The Swiss company called K-Team invented a new kind of robot! The engineering team took as a basis the swarm intelligence of ants and created the kilobot swarm. Each of the devices follows a small set of rules, but when placed together, they mold into some sort of a universal mind clever enough to solve complex tasks. In the future, this system will be able to unify not only kilobots but other robots too, the ones we can see only at exhibitions for now.

What will happen if they start swarming around cities of the future all at once? Which robots would come to our aid during the worst disasters? Why is this piece of magnetic slime learning how to sneak into your intestines? And how will robots change our lives in a real city of the future?

Machine Learning Paves Way for Smarter Particle Accelerators

Staff Scientist Daniele Filippetto working on the High Repetition-Rate Electron Scattering Apparatus. (Credit: Thor Swift/Berkeley Lab)

– By Will Ferguson

Scientists have developed a new machine-learning platform that makes the algorithms that control particle beams and lasers smarter than ever before. Their work could help lead to the development of new and improved particle accelerators that will help scientists unlock the secrets of the subatomic world.

The Art of Collaboration: NVIDIA, Omniverse, and GTC | Documentary Trailer

With our brand new documentary premiering at #SIGGRAPH 2022, you’ll get to take a look behind the scenes of the 2022 Spring GTC and discover how NVIDIA’s creative, engineering, and research teams pushed the limits of NVIDIA GPUs, AI, USD, and @NVIDIA Omniverse to deliver our most watched GTC ever.

Global Documentary Premiere: Wednesday, August 10, at 10:00 a.m. PT

Add the event to your calendar: https://nvda.ws/3z9kltq

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